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Friday, May 29, 2015

Netflix in June brings
us Jon Stewart’s Rosewater, about Maziar Bahari's
2009 imprisonment by Iran,
Jennifer Aniston’s Cake, about a
woman in chronic pain, and the Wachowski brother’s new sci-fi series. But these thrillers, comedies and
surf-tastic films below might be more fun, fun, fun for the start of summer.

Wet Hot American Summer
(2001)

Bradley
Cooper’s disappointing summer film, Aloha,
will be saying “hello” and “goodbye” quickly in the theatres, but his summer
camp period piece has had a long unexpected life already. This satire features
Paul Rudd, Amy Poehelr, Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Christopher
Meloni, Molly Shannon and more. Watch the film now to prepare for July’s
Netflix series, Wet Hot
American Summer: First Day of Camp, which will feature most of the same amazing
cast — plus Chris Pine and Kristen Wiig. (Available now.)

Bloodline (2015)

I
highly recommend you meet the Rayburn family of the Florida Keys this summer.
This Netflix original series features stellar performances by Kyle Chandler,
Sissy Spacek, Sam Shepard and next September’s Oscar front runner Ben
Mendelsohn. The first show is slow but stick with it and you’ll get drawn in to
its sleepy, sun-drenched pacing. (Available now.)

Endless Summer (1966)

It was
the first documentary that captured my attention and I could watch it again
every summer. In 1966, two top surfers ride the waters of Hawaii, Africa and
Australia in search of the perfect wave. (Available now.)

Grease (1978)

Summer days drifting away,to,
uh oh, those summer nights. Now that I think about it, every June should start
with Sandy and Danny and this breezy fun film. Even today, Grease is the word.(Available now.)

Nightcrawler (2014)

Want
something less sunny? Picture Jake Gyllenhall as a cameraman on the dark side of
tabloid journalism in this film that won him a Best Actor SAG nomination (but
not an Oscars one). It’s a dark choice but it contains one of the best car
chase scenes in recent memories — and Rene Russo. (Available June 10)

Monday, May 18, 2015

Too much to marvel at. Too little to love.Before 2012's Avengers screened, I expected that a movie featuring a number of favorite superheroes would be aimless, disjointed and too much for the senses. Turns out, we got a solid story and an impressive balance of character dialogue and exhilarating action. Avengers is one of the best superhero films by a long shot.Turns out, that circus of a movie would come three years later in the form of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Everything the first film did so well was Hulk-smashed into a film that spends more time setting up other movie stories in the Marvel universe than giving us something to love on its own.Don't get me wrong, the first non-storied 30 minutes is dazzling. And Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansen elevate every scene they are in. But judging by this film, and the Avengers we are most likely left with for the third film, the mighty heroes have already lost.Simply put: Super duper disappointingAward potential: Don't count it out for visual effects, but I bet we'll appreciate some other films more by end of year.Ten buck review: Not worth ten bucks.

Friday, May 1, 2015

Netflix, worth the price for Daredevil alone, has some tempting choices
this month that makes its $8 a month price totally ten-buck-worthy.

SOMM (2012)

Pair this insightful film with a quiet
night at home and a nice bottle of red. If you’re curious about what it takes
to be a sommelier, rent this documentary and watch four sommeliers as they attempt to pass the prestigious
Master Sommelier exam, a test with one of the lowest pass rates in the world.
It had me at merlot. (Available now.)

Fruitvale Station (2013)

This drama from two years back mirrors
what is probably going on in your newspaper today and is worth a look if you’ve never
heard the story of Bay-Area resident Oscar Grant (played by Michael B. Jordan)
and his mother (Octavia Spencer). This film took both the Grand Jury Prize for
dramatic feature and the Audience Award for U.S. dramatic film at the 2013 Sundance
Film Festival, but never got the Oscars attention it deserved.(Available May 12.)

Fed Up (2014)

The title reads like “fed up,” but
it’s clear that this documentary from Katie Couric and Laurie
David (Oscar winning producer of An Inconvenient Truth)is talking about our f’d up nutrition system and food
industry. It’s not as clever, well produced and insightful as Super Size Me (2004), but it’s an
engaging film and is certainly food for thought. Plus it's a
great kick-start to healthier eating for the month before swimsuit season. (Available now.)

Muscle Shoals (2013)

Need some good music before summer? Put in
this documentary that celebrates Rick Hall, the founder of FAME Studios in
Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and the signature sound he developed in songs such as Brown Sugar and When aMan Loves a Woman. Who would
have thought so many magical songs would have come from a place that's not Motown. And who would have thought that place would be my sweet home of
Alabama? (Available now.)

Terminator
2: Judgment Day (T2) (2002)

Ready, set, action films! It’s the beginning of blockbuster
summer movie season and the way I see it, there’s no better way to celebrate it
than by watching the biggest and Arnold-est of them all, baby!